


The Former Detective Club Pajama Party

by Bethesda



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Between Episodes, F/M, Fluff, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-16
Updated: 2015-01-16
Packaged: 2018-03-07 19:55:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3181169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bethesda/pseuds/Bethesda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Lee Ashworth knew where she was.<br/>Alec was sure of it.<br/>And that was one other another reason not to sleep: he had to stay on guard.<br/>Maybe he would have come, during the night; in that case, what was he going to do?<br/>That was the second night in that house, the second sleepless night." </p><p>In between episode S02E01-S02E02.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Former Detective Club Pajama Party

**Author's Note:**

> That's my first story in English: it was pretty hard to write, but thanks to 8TEEG8 I'm finally posting it.  
> I started writing it after episode one, so I totally ignored what happened in the second one.  
> Take it as it comes.  
> So, thank you, 8TEEG8, for the editing and the advices! And thank you, readers, expecially the mother tongue ones!  
> (Don't chase me with pitchforks and torches, please...)

The house was so silent, surrounded by the darkness of the suburb.

Everyone was sleeping but one person.

Alec Hardy was on the sofa, his wide open eyes fixed to the ceiling, his mind lost in thoughts.

There was no light in the small living room, and the curtains were drawn.

He was mumbling to himself, about his plans, about Sandbrook and the woman in the other room; but he was also concerned about the man who was out there looking for her.

Lee Ashworth knew where she was.

Alec was sure of it.

And that was one other another reason not to sleep: he had to stay on guard.

Maybe he would have come, during the night; in that case, what was he going to do?  
That was the second night in that house, the second sleepless night.

He was sure that the lack of sleep wasn't something his doctor wouldn't have approved of, but he had no choice. But he was so drowsy, and the constant ticking of the kitchen clock was hypnotic.

His head felt so heavy, as well as his eyelids: his thought became more and more confused and disconnected, and the sofa was so comfortable… 

The sound of footsteps made him wince. and his right hand went for the gun on his side, but then he remembered that he had it no more since Danny’s case. 

«Are you awake?»

Still lying down, he leaned his head back onto the armrest and pointed his eyes on the woman standing right in front of him. 

«I am». 

«I see».

«Why are _you_ awake, Miller?» 

She shrugged and took a few steps,  feeling his gaze upon her.

«May I?», she asked pointing at the sofa. 

Alec was a bit taken aback by her politeness: maybe she was just too sleepy, but he said nothing and sat composedly, throwing the blanket down, on the floor. She sat too, closing tightly her robe, her eyes staring pointedly in the distance.

Right after what had happened that morning in the graveyard, Ellie had stopped talking. Alec had thought it was extremely alarming, and had tried to cheer her up. Unsuccessfully.

She had gone home and stayed there for some hours, just her and Fred.

He hadn't had time that morning to stay with her, and he had been too absorbed by the Latimers’ fury; also, the man on the hill  was firmly in his mind.

It was after that that he decided to sleep once again in that house; but he couldn't do this alone, and Ellie was the only one who could have helped him.

One more night there: her, his ward and himself.

Ellie had agreed without too much ruckus, and he knew why: she was still shattered inside because of Beth's words. Maybe it was just good for her to be dragged into this story: it would have keep her mind off things. Also, he needed help and someone to talk to.

«Fred?»

«He’s sleeping».

«Why aren’t you?»

She snorted sounding annoyed.

«I don’t sleep well in other people's beds ». 

He cocked an eyebrow, turning to look into her eyes.

«Meaning you don't sleep at all, since we caught Joe».

She shot him a glacial stare.

«You know nothing».

«I know nothing, but the dark circles under your eyes are very telling».

She surreptitiously put her fingers under her eyes, looking for clues. 

They both fell silent. Ellie folded her legs up on the sofa, her head bend like she was searching the floor for something she didn't seem to find.

«Don’t you have to work tomorrow?»

«Yes».

«Then you should sleep».

She snorted once again, raising her head.

«Are you talking to me about sleeping? Have you even looked at yourself? You look like a scarecrow, all wrinkled and messed».

He examined his shirt and, indeed, it was undeniably crumpled.

«Don't you have some bloody pajamas? You sleep in your suit!»

He frowned.

«Of course I have a pajama, but I’m not going to wear it while I’m here».

«Is it so horrible that it cannot be worn in public?»

Alec rolled his eyes, sighing.

«I have to keep watch and I’d rather do it fully clothed».

That caught her interest enough, and she stopped pestering him about his pajama.

«You want to catch him. Like, do you really think that he’s coming here to take his “revenge”?»

He folded his legs, but it occurred to him too late that he had too long legs to be comfortable.

«He’s no fool».

«Then why are we here?»

He took a moment to think. It was difficult, and he was sure that Miller knew why they were there: but she wanted to talk about that, and it was quite a relief to discuss about that situation with someone, without that terrible sense of secrecy that had been suffocating him for seven months.

«Desperation and anger change people. And I don't know what he’s going to do next. Also, Claire is scared».

Her husband was a man whom had committed double homicide – according to the lost evidence and her boss words' –, she had testified against him and now he was in the same city as her. Of course she was scared. But, even so, Ellie wasn't able to sympathize with her, especially after what she had said.

She wasn't Hardy’s puppy! She wasn't anyone's puppy at all. She was there just for herself and her children, and because that man, behind his formal looks and cop attitude, was a total mess.

She couldn't even imagine what he had been up to during the past few months, acting like a complete idiot, playing with that woman's freedom. Ellie couldn't believe that he hadn't asked anyone for help in all that time.

What a jerk.

 

«She stayed here for months without him finding out. Why are you so worried now?»

He hadn’t  told her yet about the burglary. And he would have had to explain that maybe he knew where she lived thanks to some letters addressed to her that were in his house.

«Fuck».

Alec would have very much liked to point out that Ellie was becoming as foul-mouthed as him, but he recognized that it would have been foolish to tell her.

«I’ll just… look into it. Maybe I’m going to have her relocated away from here, or--»

«What kind of life is that?»

He stopped and looked at her. Her lips were parted, like she was going to continue but still trying to find the right.

«She can’t spend the rest of her life running away from him. I know that he’s probably a murderer--»

«He _is_ a murderer», Alec pointed out stiffly.

«But», she continued, «you can't keep looking out for her for the rest of your life! You can't even take care of yourself and I don’t think that what you are doing is legal».

«Of course is legal. And I know that I am the worst cop in Britain, but I’m not so incapable!»

They realized they were on the verge of shouting just when they heard someone muttering in their sleep in the other room. They waited for Claire to show up, but apparently she was still deep in dreams.

Miller spoke again, lowering her voice.

«I’m not talking about your ability as a cop. It’s about your health».

«Oh, please, not again», he sighed with in resignation.

«Do you listen to yourself?! What would happen if he shows up here with a gun?! Are you going to face him?! You can't even run without for fear that your heart might explode, and you wanna shield a woman all by yourself». She blurted all of this in anger, utterly upset by the man's plans.

Alec, however, was quite calm.

«I’m not alone».

Ellie's expression changed over and over again: at first it was like she couldn’t understand what he had just said; then she seemed quite touched by his words; but at last she looked at him frowning.

«The man with a knackered heart, the wife of the killer and the toddler. Yes, she’s completely safe», she exclaimed sarcastically.

The woman fell silent again. Her nightgown was too short to cover her  legs, and in that moment she felt almost naked. She snuggled, taking the legs to the chest and girdling them with in her arms.

For just a few moments, Hardy thought that she was like one of the Lost Boys from Peter Pan: ready to fight but also so frail.

Bloody hell, that was not his kind of thought.

It was totally useless stay there, waiting for her to speak first.

«Are you still thinking about Beth’s words?»

She stiffened. 

«She was furious because of what they are doing to her boy. All the trial thing is making her feeling even worse than before and you—well, you were just there».

«Why are you telling me this?», she asked. It wasn’t in a thankful voice, but a hard, cold-hearted one.

«You seemed a bit…upset».

«She told me to rot in hell: it’s not something nice to hear, especially coming from your ex best friend».

 Of course it wasn’t, but she was acting like everything was ok. Since that morning she was behaving like as if someone had taken possession of her body, driving away her soul.

«You should just let it go. No, don’t look at me like that. I need your help, and you have keep yourself up».

«So you are trying to help just because you _need_ me».

«Yeah. No. Wait. That’s not  what I meant».

«It definitely sounds like that to me.».                                                                                                         

It felt like he had just poked a venomous snakewith a stick.

«Bloody hell, why is so hard to talk to you?»

«I am the problem now? You tried to hug me!»

«I was trying to be supportive!»

«Don’t! I don’t want to be treated like someone who needs compassion, help or anything else from anyone. Since you caught Joe--»

«We caught Joe».

«I hadn't a clue about it. Now, stop interrupting».

She freed her legs from the close and turned herself to face him to him.

«There are two kind of people: the ones who wants me to go away from leave Broadchurch, thinks I'm guilty and hates me and my family, just like Beth. And I cannot blame them. The others are always there for me, always ready to help, asking me if I’m fine, if I need something, like If I am bloody unable of doing anything. And I’m grateful, but I cannot bear it anymore. I need to feel alive, not a bloody victim in all of this. You were the only one who was behaving quite normally, and now here you are, asking me if I need something like anyone else. I was happy when you asked me for help because it was like I was normal, and not the only one full of problems».

 

She wasn’t crying, she wasn’t desperate. She was explaining calmly, and he felt a bit ashamed: it wasn’t like him to be like that. Of course he wanted her to get better, but after the first trial she looked so fragile that he couldn’t help but trying to be more polite and respectful.

«In that case», Alec started, «I’m not going to ask you if you are ok anymore». 

Well, in that case, she thought, he was going to act as usual. 

«You don’t know what’s the happy medium, do you?»

She said that smiling a little.

It was nice being with someone who could understand her; also, the nightmares that were tormenting her couldn’t reach her out of her sleep. Not if she was with someone to talk to.

«Tea?»

«Are you truly not going to sleep?»

«You said you need my help: I’m more useful here rather than in my bed. It’s to keep us awake. And on watch, as you said».

«It’s really starting to look like some twisted pajama party», he said a bit worried.

«Consider it the former detective pajama party».                                   

She smiled again, walking towards the stoves». 

She came back with two cups of tea, placed them on the low table in front of them and sat again, not after she picked up the blanket from the floor.

«Now, tell me again about Sandbrook and about this stupid plan of yours».

While talking about the case, Hardy changed totally his way to talk: once again he became the Detective Inspector whom had solved Danny’s case, the cop focused only on the job. She could see why it was so hard for his wife to stay constantly with him: Sandrook was an obsession, and his idea was totally crazy.

Alec was trying to predict Lee Ashworth movement, but he was alone: no one was going to help him at the police station, and Ellie felt like as if the Sword of Damocles was dangling over their heads.

She thought about those girls, about their families, and she realized that Claire was justlike her: wives of monsters, and both of them were going to get their revenge.

And everything was in Alec Hardy’s hands: not just the Danny trial, but also the safety of a witness and the conclusion of the Sandbrook case.

She thought about his heart and the urge to slap him came almost overwhelmed her. But she refrained: how could he be so irresponsible? Or, more likely, his problem was exactly the opposite: he felt too responsible for other people's well-being. He was unable let them alone.

Not a single one of them.

Neither Ellie.

He mentioned again the stolen letters, and she asked him if there was that address in on one of them.

«No. Just, something about the case and the trial…and a letter from the hospital».

«What do you mean?»

«It’s about the possibility of a heart surgery».

She gasped and looked at him with wide open eyes. 

«So he knows that you are ill!»

«I think so». 

«You are completely out of your mind! You basically ruined this man life accusing him of murder, forcing him to transfer to another city--».

«I didn’t forced him, it was his choice! He was guilty and he obviously couldn’t stay in the same place where he had been indicted, so he flew away».

«But it was because of you your fault and your investigation! What if he decides to kill by taking advantage of your weakness?»

«I’m flattered by what you think about me, really».

«For Christ’s sake, Alec, it’s even more dangerous now! Don’t be an idiot!»

She blushed a moment later, realizing that she had called him with by his proper name.

«Do you think he’s going to scare me to death?» He said that mockingly, but it didn’t worked.

«That’s one of the first jokes I've ever heard coming from you and it’s horrible».

The cop shrugged his shoulders and took a sip of his tea, so she decided to ignore him: .one thing was helping him, one other was pushing him to another heart attack.

«You almost died on me once: I’m not going to help you to do this trick one other time».

That's where they dropped it: they fell silent for a lot of time, until Ellie took the remote and switched on the old telly. It was three o’clock in the morning, and there were just old movies playing, but she didn’t say anything. They started watching a black and white one, the volume to the minimum required. She covered herself with the duvet, and after a while he followed her, another cup of tea in his hands and the his mind sharp.

It didn’t last: lulled by the soft images, by the tea and the warm blanket, the woman slipped into dreams world. Alec couldn’t help but smile, taking from her hands the cup and putting it on the table.

He felt so sorry for her, for what had happened and for the upcoming trial. The cop forced himself not to think and kept on watching the movie. But once again, any speech now come to an end, he was alone, immersed in the silence, strongly tempted to allow himself to fall asleep.

But he had no time to make that a choice: the slumber took him right after Ellie and he ended up with his head resting on hers.

It was the first night without nightmares in a long time.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
